SWITZERLAND

Gotthard Pass to reopen today

Seasonal closure for winter will come to an end at 16:00
© CdT / Gabriele Putzu
Ats
17.05.2022 06:00

On Friday, an end to the winter closure of the Gotthard Pass will be announced at 16:00 on Friday. It was announced by the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) earlier today. People will therefore be able to descend at an altitude of 2,106 meters a week ahead of Ascension Day.

The opening will ease congestion on the north-south axis. At Easter, queues at the north portal of the Gotthard tunnel had reached 20 kilometers, with delays for travelers rising to 3.5 hours. Only in 1998 had a worse figure been recorded, with 25 kilometers of queues.

The pass had not been open since Nov. 5, due to the normal winter closure. In 2021 the road had re-opened as of May 21, so virtually the equivalent of this year.